MacTaggart lecture from actor will address change in ways TV is commissioned and watched

The Festival, which runs from 22 to 24 August 2013, is a broadly industry-focused event, meaning the lecture is only open to event delegates.

Spacey recently starred in 13-part Netflix series House of Cards - a project on which he was also an executive producer - and his Edinburgh talk will focus on the changing way in which television is made and watched. The actor said his talk would address "a time of huge opportunity, innovation and creativity for all of us who live to tell stories and engage audiences".

House of Cards, directed by David Fincher, is an early example of what many see as a leading format for future TV series commissioning and production, and one that differs from traditional TV making in several ways. The series was commissioned by streaming service Netflix for $100m dollars, features no advertising and aims to attract paying subscribers to the service. Significantly, all 13 episodes were made available at the same time, an arrangement more accurately reflecting viewer behaviour when watching TV. Recent series made in a similar way include Hemlock Grove, resurrected comedy Arrested Development (which returns for a 4th season) and comedy dramas Orange is the New Black and Lilyhammer.